In free form sewing, the feed teeth that normally advance the material as each stitch is made are not used. All of the movements of the workpiece material are accomplished by the hands of the sewing machine operator. Some sewing machines have the ability to retract the feed teeth so that they do not engage the material being sewn. Others, usually very simple portable or even battery powered sewing machines, do not have retractable feed teeth, and it is more difficult to do free form sewing when they are in place, even if they can be disabled from movement. Even when the feed teeth are retracted or rendered inoperable there are still parts of the sewing machine that do not permit full free form sewing without any of those parts engaging the material being sewn, and the sewing machine operator has to work around them and at times lift up the material being sewn so that there is no engagement of any machine parts in the vicinity of the needle, presser foot and needle plate, which is also a bobbin cover, with the material being sewn.
Prior to the invention herein disclosed and claimed, the workpiece was just moved over the workpiece surface of the sewing machine. This is not practical unless the feed teeth are not only disabled, but are moved below the sewing machine workpiece surface so that they do not engage the workpiece material at any time during the free form sewing operation. Also, the needle plate has openings therein and one or more upper edges thereof may at times not be in perfect planar alignment with the sewing machine work surface, and the work surface itself may have a coefficient of friction which is sufficiently high to cause some resistance to easy sliding movement of the workpiece directly over the sewing machine work surface. Some unheeded deposits may be on that surface and inadvertently provide impediments to smooth workpiece movements, such as residue from various glue-like substances used in sewing at times. Any unneeded resistance to smooth free form movements of the workpiece can adversely affect results of the free form sewing of the workpiece as the sliding force exerted thereon by the operator's hands, causing the final sewn product containing the particular results thereof to be less smooth or free-flowing than desired. Therefore, it is advantageous to provide a smooth low coefficient of friction work surface on the work support sheet or panel which may be easily and inexpensively replaced by the sewing machine operator if it develops any adverse flaws after use or storage or handling, minimizing the problems that may occur with a higher coefficient of friction work surface which is typically provided on the work surface of sewing machines or the likelihood that the feed teeth can be in position to engage some part of the workpiece material, adversely affecting the smooth movements of the workpiece material being sewn as the hands of the sewing machine operator move that workpiece material while free form sewing.